MSNBC Calls for Gun Confiscation Style Buyback Programs like Australia That Led to Skyrocketing Crime Rates

"Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski called for the United States to implement a gun "buyback" program modeled on Australia’s broad confiscation program enacted in 1996.



Scarborough started Tuesday by saying that a gun seller should face conspiracy charges if the buyer commits a crime with the sold gun. He said such laws would have an undefined "deterrent effect."



"Why wouldn't everybody be for doing whatever we can do to make sure that if you sell a gun, if you give a gun, if you transfer a gun to somebody who uses its in the commission of a crime, you're going to be a part of a conspiracy of that crime?" he asked. "Just whatever we can do to make sure that legal gun owners are legal gun owners and those who aren't legal gun owners are going—if they use guns for the wrong reason, there's going to be a deterrent effect."



Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post chimed in that lawmakers should make "gun makers and sellers liable like everybody else."



Brzezinski added that the government must "get the guns" to reduce gun crimes substantially. Scarborough said such confiscation is "not going to happen," but Brzezinski insisted that buyback programs and others methods are able to "get [guns] off the streets."



Scarborough then seemed to agree, citing Australia’s 1996 National Firearm Agreement, which led to the confiscation of approximately 650,000 guns declared "illegal," including semiautomatic rifles and handguns.



"You can do buyback programs, and since Australia did it in 1996, they haven't had another mass shooting," Scarborough said.



"You have to do multi-pronged," Brzezinski said without elaboration.



"It’s gotta be voluntary buyback programs," Scarborough said, not mentioning that the Australian buyback program he just praised was mandatory.



Former President Barack Obama also mentioned Australia’s program after a shooting in Roseburg, Ore. In October, Obama’s former senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer called for mandatory buybacks on the Australian model, saying the Second Amendment is an "anachronism."